DOC; Mountain Administrative Support Center; Acquisition Management Division; 325 Broadway MC3; Boulder, CO

96 -- STEEL BARS SOL NB853-703249DT POC Doris Turner, Purchasing Agent, (303) 497-3872; FAX: (303) 497-3163 E-MAIL: NOAA; MASC Acquisition Management, Doris P. Turner@noaa.gov. The National Institute of Standards and Technology (NIST) requires double vacuum melted AISI-SAE 4340 steel bars, to be used to produce precisely machined, heat treated Charpy V-notch specimens. These specimens shall be sold by NIST as standard reference materials to certify the calibration of Charpy V-notch machines, so the specimens (and the steel) must be of the highest quality possible. The American Society for Testing and Materials specification E23 describes this test and these specimens. The steel shall be of a single heat to minimize compositional and microstructural variation in the final products. Because steel plants produce steel in different heat sizes (inherent to their facilities) we have tried to add some flexibility to this contract by bracketing the quantity of the steel to be purchased: 7,000 to 10,000 pounds. We prefer to purchase 10,000 pounds. The bids will be evaluated on a price per pound basis and delivery time will be considered. Compositional Requirements: The steel shall be produced using a double vacuum melting procedure (vacuum induction melt-vacuum arc remelt). The steel shall meet the compositional requirements of AISI-SAE alloy 4340. The steel shall also meet the stricter requirements of AMS 6414, which describes steel production by a vacuum melting procedure. In addition we desire the phosphorous, sulfur, vanadium, niobium, titanium, and copper contents of the steel to be as low as possible. The maximum concentrations (in wt.%) allowed for the following elements shall be: P=0.010, S=0.005, V=0.030, Nb=0.005, Ti=0.003 and Cu=0.35. The composition shall be certified using standard analysis procedures (such as optical emission spectroscopy or x-ray fluorescence), and the equipment shall be calibrated by standards traceable to NIST. The composition shall be measured at the top and bottom of the vacuum arc remelted ingot before it is processed by forging or rolling. These two measurements shall be included in the documentation with the order, and shall meet the compositional requirements of AISI-SAE 4340, AMS 6414 and the limits on residuals given above. Deviations between the two measurements (in wt.% between the top and bottom of VAR ingot) shall not exceed 0.020 for C, Si, and Mo, 0.090 for Mn, 0.030 for Cr, 0.040 for Ni, 0.002 for P and 0.001 for S. The heat shall be processed to 0.50 inch (+0.15, -0.00) square bar. The corner radius of the finished bars shall not exceed 0.03 inches. The maximum grain size shall be ASTM number 8. In other attributes (decarburization, surface condition, etc) the steel shall be suitable for use as 0.394 inch square Charpy V-notch specimens. The bar shall be normalized at 950 C (1750 F), and hardened to approximately 35 HRC. (We will consider alternate heat treating schedules if a mutual agreement can be reached. Our goal here is to produce bars with a minimum of large carbides in the structure, the most uniform carbide precipitation possible, and a uniform hardness.) The bar shall be machine straightened (for twist and bow) and shipped in lengthsno less than 6 ft and not more the 12 ft. (11 to 12 ft. lengths are ideal). The bar shall be packaged in bundles identified with reference to which portion of the ingot (or ingots) it was processed from. The bundles shall weigh less than 4,000 pounds, which is the capacity of our fork truck. We consider 1000 lb. bundles to be an ideal size. This material shall be stored outside at the Boulder, Colorado facility for up to a year. The packaging shall be suitable for this type of storage without degradation of the box or markings. Since the surfaces will be ground, a small amount of surface rust can be tolerated. It is not the intent of the Government to issue a separate solicitation for this requirement. Interested sources proposing to supply these items must submit a written qualification statement by fax, clearly establishing capability to meet the above requirements within 15 days of this synopsis. Faxed quotes are acceptable and should be sent to 303-497-3163. Quotes are required by June 16, 1997. No separate solicitation will be issued. This announcement/solicitation is being issued in accordance with Simplified Acquisition Procedures, FAR Part 13 (NTE $100,000). See numbered note: 1. (0156)

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